Sustainability is often hailed as a top business priority, but how genuine is this commitment across various organisations?

Over the past few months, I’ve been reaching out to new connections on LinkedIn, asking them to rate the importance of sustainability to them and their businesses on a scale of 1 (not important) to 10 (absolutely core!). After engaging with over 500 people, I received 121 responses. Here’s what I learned:

• 🏆 64% rated it a “10 out of 10,” indicating that sustainability is central to their operations.

• 🌱 26% rated it an 8 or 9 out of 10.

• 🙌 In total, 90% rated it 8 or higher.

• 📉 Only 7% rated it 5 or lower.

While these numbers are promising, a few caveats are worth noting:

1. The sample size of 121 is modest, so broader trends might differ.

2. Many respondents are new connections who may have engaged with me because of my work at Glad, likely skewing the results towards a pro-sustainability bias.

3. The “value/action gap” is real; what people claim to prioritise and what they actually do can differ significantly.

Despite these considerations, it’s heartening to see such strong prioritisation of sustainability.

Interestingly, several individuals who rated sustainability as a low priority expressed a desire for it to be more central in their organisations. However, the current market conditions often lead to other pressing matters taking precedence.

What’s your take on this? How does sustainability factor into your business or industry priorities? How big do you think the “value/action” gap is? Are businesses genuinely taking steps to be more sustainable, or are they simply talking the talk?

Join the discussion on LinkedIn! Let’s explore how we can bridge that gap together.